The Story of the Waterdrop and the River (2024)
Recycled copper electrical wire, Five Leaf Water Vine (invasive species), linen thread
115 h x 92 w x 12 d

Growing up by the river in central Australia, it felt like a character in the story of my life and to this day bodies of water remain sacred to me. I seek them out. When I was on the Whanganui River in New Zealand, I learned that it was the first river to be recognised as a living, indivisible whole with legal personhood (after advocacy by the Whanganui iwi). Where I grew up, the river was seen as a resource that served economic growth. Any protection measures were from the human perspective – managing the flow for crops and water saving in times of drought. This sculpture represents that we need to change this narrative. The new story is understanding that rivers are sentient beings that have inherent rights and intrinsic value. Protecting and conserving them, not only for our benefit but in acknowledgment of their inherent rights to exist and flourish.